--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once we went into the basement and…" description: "\"Once we went into the basement and learned a song, we felt successful. Then we learned two songs, and then we got a gig, and on and on - and that's the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/687/gord-downie-7576_more_once-we-went-into-the-basement-and-learn_2599120.jpg" --- # Once we went into the basement and learned a song, we felt… ![“Once we went into the basement and learned a song, we felt successful. Then we learned two songs, and then we got a gig, and on and on - and that's the way musicians think. I don't know about other people - I mean, I don't know about all musicians either - but some are more driven than others.” quote by Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/687/gord-downie-7576_more_once-we-went-into-the-basement-and-learn_2599120.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/687/gord-downie-7576_more_once-we-went-into-the-basement-and-learn_2599120.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/687/gord-downie-7576_more_once-we-went-into-the-basement-and-learn_2599120.jpg) > “Once we went into the basement and learned a song, we felt successful. Then we learned two songs, and then we got a gig, and on and on - and that's the way musicians think. I don't know about other people - I mean, I don't know about all musicians either - but some are more driven than others.” [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Musicians often view success as a series of incremental achievements—learning songs, gaining gigs—while some are more driven, illustrating varied motivations within creative fields. **In simple terms:** Success builds step by step, but drive varies among musicians. Key Takeaway Recognize and nurture your own creative momentum. Themes creativity motivation growth Mood encouraging realistic Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - career advice - personal ambition Key Concepts music industry skill development Questions to Reflect On - What small steps can you take toward your creative goal? - How does personal drive affect artistic progress? A Different Perspective Not all musicians share the same drive, leading to unequal outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Musicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musicians/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“Musicians are some of the most driven, courageous people on the face of the earth. They deal with more day-to-day rejection in one year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ackert/musicians-are-some-of-the-most-driven-courageous-people-on-the-face/) David Ackert > [I know too many musicians that have to tour on the same 10 songs, and they burn out. 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It's that really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bebe-buell/there-s-only-one-thing-that-s-kind-of-hard-about-being-a-wife-or-a/) [Bebe Buell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bebe-buell/) > [I know of musicians who have played together for decades who hate each other. The Modern Jazz Quartet for one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-burton/i-know-of-musicians-who-have-played-together-for-decades-who-hate/) [Gary Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-burton/) > [You know, musicians aren't very stable, in case you hadn't noticed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-silver/you-know-musicians-aren-t-very-stable-in-case-you-hadn-t-noticed/) [Josh Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-silver/) > [The availability of downloads is fantastic, but you don't know which musicians are playing on the songs anymore. It's kind of making musicians faceless,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-young/the-availability-of-downloads-is-fantastic-but-you-don-t-know-which/) [Paul Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-young/) > [My dad has learned all of the songs that I've sent him. 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Then I just had fun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/after-playing-so-many-songs-in-churches-for-eight-or-nine-years-i-ve/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) ## More by Gord Downie > [I come to America because if you're a rock 'n' roll musician you should come here every chance you get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-come-to-america-because-if-you-re-a-rock-n-roll-musician-you-should/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [I had spend a lot of time looking at things intellectually, coming from the head, let's say, rather than the heart, and saying things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-had-spend-a-lot-of-time-looking-at-things-intellectually-coming/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [I used to run the band hockey pool - regular season and playoffs. I would write weekly reports, which were meant to demoralize and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-used-to-run-the-band-hockey-pool-regular-season-and-playoffs-i/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [I love dance - trying to express myself wordlessly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-love-dance-trying-to-express-myself-wordlessly/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [I grew up on the lake and spent most of that time outdoors. As a musician, I travel widely around the country and talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-grew-up-on-the-lake-and-spent-most-of-that-time-outdoors-as-a/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [You sort of get so lulled into thinking of yourself as this five-headed thing, the group, the band, The Hip. 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You have tiffs with someone when he has smelly feet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/if-we-weren-t-in-this-band-some-of-us-wouldn-t-be-playing-at-all-you/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [I enjoy making and creating things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-enjoy-making-and-creating-things/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [I think I'm a dancer in terms of what I do onstage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-think-i-m-a-dancer-in-terms-of-what-i-do-onstage/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [I'm grateful for the friendships and being able to show it, for people's dancing pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-m-grateful-for-the-friendships-and-being-able-to-show-it-for-people/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [I work a couple of hours a day with a guitar or pushing words around, so over time I have a lot of material,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-work-a-couple-of-hours-a-day-with-a-guitar-or-pushing-words-around/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [I've always liked R.E.M. because, like so many things I like, they exude a warmth; I like to think that we do, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-ve-always-liked-r-e-m-because-like-so-many-things-i-like-they-exude/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [When I'm in front of a crowd, I don't think 'Oh, there's some hard-core metalheads and some alternative fringe types, so we should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/when-i-m-in-front-of-a-crowd-i-don-t-think-oh-there-s-some-hard-core/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) [Explore all 89 Gord Downie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) ## More More quotes > [I feel like I definitely have a real sporty style, more so than a lot of people in G.O.O.D. 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I think it's helped me play more consistently on the tour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-draper/i-have-always-worked-really-hard-off-the-court-i-think-it-s-helped-me/) [Jack Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-draper/) Browse all 30,914 More quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Once we went into the basement and learned a song, we felt successful. Then we learned two songs, and then we got a gig, and on and on - and that's the way musicians think. 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